Today, Jean Seymour, Kathleen Cameron and I traveled to the City of Rocks area in search of the pinyon/juniper specialties of that area. The entrance road in Castle Rock State Park held BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER & BUSHTIT in the pinyon/juniper area. On the road up to Circle Creek Overlook, we had our best passerine turnout including 1 each ASH-THROATED, DUSKY, & OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS, and 1 BLACK-THROATED GRAY & 2 VIRGINIA’S WARBLERS. We found a few WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS in the sky deep in the national preserve, over some of the more pronounced rock formations. The trailhead just outside the Smoky Mountain Campground had a flock of 15+ BUSHTIT & 1 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. Backroads in the large valley between the City of Rocks area and the Jim Sage Mts held 8+ LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES & unprecedented numbers of BREWER’S SPARROWS. The well(ish)-kept dirt road that leads up into the Jim Sage Mountains had 1 LINCOLN’S SPARROW, 2 of each GRAY FLYCATCHERS, W. SCRUB JAYS, and most impressively, 2 juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWKS.
full trip report will be posted here: worldbirding.travellerspoint.com
Good birding,
Henry
Ketchum ID
(Chicago IL)
Henry Griffin
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